WASHINGTON — In response to the oil industry’s lawsuit challenging the Cardin-Lugar amendment to the Dodd-Frank financial law, which aims to help citizens in oil-rich countries hold their leaders accountable for the money they receive for extractive rights, ONE US Executive Director Tom Hart issued the following statement:

It’s no surprise that some in industry are doing whatever they can to avoid having to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act. But the law is clear, the SEC ruling unambiguously supports it, and the will of the American public and global opinion is driving toward greater transparency.

This summer, 143,000 Americans signed on in support of the principles adopted in the SEC ruling which, when implemented, will protect investors, fight corruption, promote human rights and strengthen U.S. national security.

As Europe prepares to adopt a similar measure, we are well on the way to achieving a common, global standard on natural resource transparency that ensures that the vast potential of the world’s natural endowment is harnessed to improve the lives of some of its poorest people.

When the SEC ruled in August, ONE co-founder Bono called transparency “the best vaccine against corruption” and praised the law for “providing real world solutions in transforming the lives of the poor.”

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About ONEONE is a campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, we raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs. ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not solicit funding from the public or receive government funding. ONE is funded almost entirely by foundations, individual philanthropists and corporations. We achieve change through advocacy. Our teams in Washington, D.C., New York, London, Johannesburg, Brussels, Berlin, and Paris educate and lobby governments to shape policy solutions that save and improve millions of lives. To learn more, go to ONE.org.